Not Queer Enough

There’s an event happening in San Francisco (of course) called “Not Queer Enough” on June 27th. Among the speakers are people like Max Wolf Valerio & Julia Serano.

I wish I could be there.

My own feelings of being “not queer enough” I’ve mentioned at various times, usually when I’ve felt shunned at an event or gathering, or been made to feel otherwise square for being married or monogamous or heterosexual. Shoot, I’ve felt “not feminist enough” for being heterosexual & married, too.

& I’m very very certain that plenty of trans people feel “not trans enough.”

But not queer enough? What defines someone as queer? Their politics? Being visibly queer? Their worldview? Their haircut? Who they have sex with?

I don’t know. But I’d like to be in San Francisco that night to hear other people talk about their experiences.

Info about the event below the break.

“NOT QUEER ENOUGH”
An evening of readings and screenings looking at interaction between the GL and the B and the T.

From screenings of work that has been censored or rejected by the “GLBT” community as too straight, to readings from Bisexual and Transsexual writers on the shifting ground in the larger queer community, this night is relevant… and should be fun.

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One Comment

Wow, what an amazing, interesting, and certainly disputed enough topic. Not queer enough, not trans enough, not something. People have this interesting way of breaking up into clicish groups, and on their way to “self definition” and identification often focus on who ISN’T them instead of who they are.

I’ve been saying for some years now that I transitioned in self defense, and verily this remains true today. I wasn’t “man” enough when I tried so hard to do what my father forced down my throat. How could I ever be something, someone, I wasn’t. For me transition was about who I AM, not who I’m not.

When I got here, where I belong, the land of my birth, women’s country things were a whole bunch better. In trying to get involved with the community however, I was once again faced with who I’m not. Not Trans enough to be considered Trans, not “butch” enough to be considered Lesbian, not Femme enough in clothing to be considered Trans and way to Femme to be considered Lesbian. All gets so confusing.

I mean really, to get chased out of one of the very few support groups near me because I was NOT obsessed with formal gowns and ten pounds of makeup on my face? What is that really? Not really a part of the Trans community because I’m not obsessed with being Trans? Foolish me, I thought transition was a process, a journey toward a destination and once it is completed one gets on with life.

I’m not living in stealth, or even trying to, instead I have people trying to convince me I made up the who story about once having been a guy. Seriously people who simply refuse to believe I was ever stuck in a world I didn’t belong because somehow now I’m so “normal” I couldn’t ever have been anything but who I am.

Totally, utterly, and completely bizarre! Worse yet, I’m a feminist, always have been, and so I’m much more likely to talk about that than anything, which leaves me not something enough somewhere. I argue that women should stand together, ALL women, and with one voice say NO. Put a stop to the ongoing madness and stupidity, take back our lives, our bodies, our hearts and say it is time for some changes around here. Oddly enough it’s not always popular thought with Trans or Queer folk because they NEED to be focused on their own stuff.

So very, very strange to me… So don’t feel bad Helen, you’re not alone!